Self Kindness

Lately I’ve been meditating on kindness. I’m talking about kindness to self.

How and when did you learn to treat yourself with kindness? Are you still learning this skill? I know I am! One way to exercise your self-kindness muscle is to notice how you feel. What do you notice when you race around accomplishing a never ending to do list? Stressed? Breathless? Driven? Can you adjust HOW you do what you do so that you might have a different experience? Perhaps with a tweak to your mindset, you will adopt a sense of purpose, flexibility, openness to what you are doing and what is happening around you.

What do you experience when you silence yourself to keep the peace with a child, partner, or colleague? Angry? Ashamed? Noticing your own challenging emotional response is your gateway to growing and having something different, better, or more than you have in the relationship. Even if you decide not to address an issue, can you truly let it go and be free? Isn’t that the ultimate in self-kindness? Allowing responses to flow through, acknowledging them, addressing them when you choose, and being open for the next experience?

Notice how and what you feel when you push yourself to do something. Notice how and what you feel when you don’t push or resist and flow along with whatever is happening. Which feels kinder? This takes some practice and finesse to notice these inner differences without getting too caught up in habit and guilt. The practice is worth the time and effort.